Skin Graft Type And Complications

Skin grafting is a surgical procedure by which skin or skin substitute is transplanted to a burn or non-healing wound to permanently replace damaged or missing skin or provide a temporary wound covering. A ‘graft’ is essentially the transplantation of tissue.

A first degree burn involves only the epidermis (the top layer of skin); second-degree burns damage the epidermis and dermis but usually heal without scarring. However, third-degree burns involve the complete destruction of dermis and epidermis and skin grafts are often required.

The best skin grafts come from the patient’s own skin and are called autografts or homografts. They usually come from areas that are not ordinarily visible such as the buttocks or inner thigh. When it is not possible or practial to transplant skin in this way, artifical grafts from human cadavers (dead bodies) or from pigs are used.

This method of skin grafting can be difficult though because the body’s immune system may recognise the graft as a foreign substance and can reject it. So a better result can come from lab-grown skin, where a piece of the patient’s healthy skin is removed and placed in a flask with nutrients and hormones to promote rapid growth.